Out of the Multiple Margins: Older Women Managing Their Health Care

Abstract

This feminist phenomenological study explores the meaning of older women's experiences as they negotiate health care. Several interviews with diverse groups of older women (immigrant, First Nations, and Japanese-Canadian women and those involved in community and social clubs) reveal that negotiating to have their health needs met was a challenging process requiring mutual support. Their health-care experiences were influenced by issues surrounding access to services, power, and poverty. For many participants, the conversational interview format served to inspire consciousness-raising, activism, and reflection. The findings suggest that such reflection may help other women to understand the "multiple margins" (being older, being a woman, being a member of a visible minority) that constrain and challenge their access to health care.